Book Image

Mastering the Java Virtual Machine

By : Otavio Santana
Book Image

Mastering the Java Virtual Machine

By: Otavio Santana

Overview of this book

Mastering the Java Virtual Machine is a comprehensive guide that will take you into the heart of Java programming, guiding you through the intricate workings of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and equipping you with essential skills to become a proficient Java developer. You’ll start by understanding the JVM, exploring its architecture and how it executes Java code. Through detailed explanations and real-world examples, you’ll gain a deep understanding of JVM internals, enabling you to write efficient and optimized Java applications. As you progress, you’ll delve into memory management and execution, unraveling the complexities of heap and stack management, garbage collection, and memory profiling. You'll learn how memory is allocated and reclaimed in the JVM, as well as how to optimize memory usage and identify performance bottlenecks in your applications. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to create Java programs that are not only robust but also highly performant. By the end of this book, you’ll have the skills needed to excel in Java programming, writing efficient, maintainable code.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Part 1: Understanding the JVM
5
Part 2: Memory Management and Execution
9
Part 3: Alternative JVMs
12
Part 4: Advanced Java Topics

Overview of reflection

Reflection, a fundamental feature of the Java programming language, bestows upon developers the ability to inspect and manipulate the structure, behavior, and metadata of classes and objects at runtime. This dynamic capability might open a Pandora’s box of possibilities, allowing programmers to transcend the confines of static code and respond to the evolving needs of their applications. Why is reflection so crucial to Java development?

Reflection in Java finds practical use in specialized scenarios, such as framework and library development, empowering developers to create flexible and extensible code. It plays a pivotal role in dependency injection (DI) containers, object-relational mapping (ORM) frameworks, and testing frameworks, enabling dynamic class instantiation and configuration. Reflection is also essential in serialization and deserialization libraries, GUI development tools, and Java’s core libraries, contributing to the dynamic loading...